Bardier’s Back

In March, we reported that Canadian oystermaster Marc Bardier was going for Guinness in a somewhat obscure category: number of oysters shucked behind somebody’s back. He was hoping to retro-pop 100 bivalves in 30 minutes but actually did a lot better than that. The Guinness Book of Records will list him as having opened 398 oysters behind his back in 60 minutes.

Maestro S.V.P., the Montreal restaurant where he works, has photos of the historic occasion, including one where Bardier gets a refreshing sip of Champagne to keep him going. If you want to take a look, they’re at www.minet.ca/~maestro

So How Did It Taste? Eiffel?

A high point, as it were, at the annual International Contemporary Art Fair, held in Paris last week, was British sculptor Anish Kapoor’s edible sculpture, unveiled Tuesday, Oct. 7. Kapoor’s design, a red cone-shaped sculpture a yard across, was made of meringue by the famous patissier Lenotre. The first bite went to French Culture Minister Catherine Trautmann.

Secrets of Beverly Hills

At this year’s Pie Bake held at the Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market Oct. 4, two first prizes were awarded--for actress Janet Paquette’s apple-cranberry-walnut pie and a peach-raspberry pie by El Rodeo School students Amy and Colleen Rothner. The students attributed their win to using twice as much sugar as the recipe called for.